While flagship enclosures are certainly pretty interesting and there are some great deals to be had even just north of $100, competition south of that border is mighty fierce and only becomes more so as manufacturers refresh their lineups with the latest trends and advances in chassis design. We've seen a lot of great options for end users looking to save some scratch, but haven't had a chance to see what Antec can do in this market...until now. Antec is launching their new Three Hundred Two chassis, and if you're an enthusiast on a budget looking for the best cooling you can get without spending up for it, this may be the case for you.

Superficially there doesn't appear to be much that Antec has done to modernize the Three Hundred while keeping the price down, but once you get inside you'll see there's more going on than meets the eye. While the Three Hundred Two is set to be a bit pricier than its predecessor, you'll see there are plenty of good reasons to take the plunge anyhow. Here's the rap sheet:

Antec Three Hundred Two Specifications

Motherboard Form Factor

ATX, Micro ATX, Mini ITX

Drive Bays

External

3x 5.25"

Internal

6x 3.5", 2x 2.5"

Cooling

Front

2x 120mm fan mount

Rear

1x 120mm Antec TwoCool exhaust fan

Top

1x 140mm Antec TwoCool exhaust fan

Side

1x 120mm fan mount; 1x 120mm fan mount behind motherboard tray

Bottom

-

Expansion Slots

8

Front I/O Port

2x USB 3.0, mic and headphone jacks

Top I/O Port

-

Power Supply Size

ATX

Clearance

12" (Expansion Cards), 170mm (CPU HSF), 200mm (PSU)

Weight

15.3 lbs (6.9 kg)

Dimensions

20.2" x 9" x 18.5" (413mm x 229mm x 471mm)

Price

MSRP $79

It's actually kind of unusual to see a case that doesn't support a top-mounted 240mm radiator these days, but when you're dealing with a $79 case it's an omission that shouldn't feel like a major one. Instead Antec gives us an eighth expansion slot, which in my opinion is actually a bit more useful. I know some users are skeptical, but I've personally gotten enough mileage out of eighth slots in cases that I can definitely see their use. Note also that Antec is again using a negative pressure design, but wait until you see the performance numbers.

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50 Comments

I have actually drilled my own water cooling ports on my older Antec 300, PM me on the forums if you want to see it. So yes they're good to have. Unusually placed on the top, the rear is much more normal. Glad to see they fixed the major flaws with the old Antec 300, but really they could have gone a few steps further and painted the inside black as well as offering a windowed version. An improvement, but not worth paying $80 imo, there are other better cases out there.Reply

...to take the original 300 and make it look like crap. I'm saying this purely from an aesthetic point of view and I'm specifically referring to the the curved front. It seems to be what Antec is best at these days considering the hideous DarkFleet series, the LanBoy Air and also the new P280. It's a shame....Reply

yep.the curved front is my greatest issue with this case too.the rest of the case on the other hand, is to much of an improvement over the 300 to not put it on my shortlist.and pretty high on that too.

mostly agreed, but the old 300 is excellent for holding a small raid array excellent drive cooling, etc. I was hoping antec would release a microatx version of the 300 (same number of hard drive bays, dump the extra 5.25's).Reply

The issue is that most hobbyist builders won't have great cable management skills, bigger cases are easier to tidy.

Added to that, I'll always have full ATX cases. Granted I only run a GPU and a soundcard nowadays, but spacing them out makes me happy. Show me a MicroATX case that has thermals equivalent to an antec eleven hundred/p280/corsair carbide 500r, and as much cable management.

The P180 mini isn't far off but have you seen the size of it? It's more or less a mid-tower case. Added to which it is now badly out of date. Reply

I have a Three Hundred that I am very happy with. Only downside is the fan noise, which is kind of inherent in a well-ventilated steel case for gamers. Its nice they went to USB 3.0, and made the side panels easier to attach. Very solid case, easy to work with, and keeps a gaming rig cool and stable.Reply

i brought this cabinet and i m satisfied with the performance.unfortunately this one is no longer available, never the less almost all antec products are eequally good...i bought it from martnext.com gave me best price along with COD facilitytry out yourself for best deal on Antec productshttp://www.martnext.com/computer-components/brands...Reply